Chaos Theory (PRE-REBOOT, NONCANON)
by SwordLover87
Summary: One small change causes many larger ones. That's how the saying goes, right? (Cover sprite by me, made for Chaos Theory.) (This is not a swap AU.)
1. Chapter 1- Fallen Down

Darkness.

 _"Hey! You! Are you okay?"_

Darkness, and... something else. Flashes of orange and white.

 _"Can you hear me?"_

But they didn't want to listen. The darkness was peaceful. Silent, silent as the grave.

 _"If you can hear me, then please..."_

The darkness seemed to tense, to draw back.

"WAKE UP!"

Frisk gasped and sat up. There was a flowerbed beneath them, some of the cheerful bright yellow flowers composing it crushed and giving off a faint smell of sweet lemons. And the owner of the voice that had been calling to them...

A thin, vaguely skeletal figure floated in front of them, concern written all over its otherwise indistinguishable face.

"Are you okay? That fall you had looked pretty nasty! And, well, I had to make sure you were alive."

Frisk wasn't listening. Was this a ghost? Were they dreaming?

As if reading their thoughts, the figure answered.

"No, I am in fact not a ghost! My name is The Great..."

The figure hesitated, carefully choosing its words.

"Well, you can call me 'Buddy' for now. Now, I'm sure you're getting terribly bored of looking at these flowers. So let's go!"

Frisk stood up uncertainly. The dark tunnel ahead looked foreboding, but with their new friend "Buddy", it wasn't quite as scary as it would have been alone. They turned and walked into the waiting dark.

In the next room, there was a small patch of sunlight shining down from some unseen hole. Sitting in the middle of it was a single, unusually large buttercup, its head bowed. Its petals were torn and faded.

Frisk took a step forward uncertainly, then leapt back again as the flower whipped upward without warning. Its front had a _face_. A shadowed face, a face with only two bright pinpricks of light for eyes, but it was a face.

"Hey there. The name's Sunny the Buttercup."

BEGIN ARC ONE: NEUTRAL RUN

BEGIN SECTION ONE: THE RUINS


	2. Chapter 2- Rude Awakening

"Hey there. I'm Sunny the Buttercup. And you are...?"

Frisk was too shocked to react. A talking flower! It had a face! And eyes! And it was giving them a rather exasperated look!

"You're the strong, silent type, huh. 'S okay. I just need a quick look at your SOUL..."

Sunny's lazy grin suddenly flattened at the edges and his eye-lights shrunk to pinpoints, his previously friendly face morphing into the epitome of shock and dismay.

"...You're a human."

Just like that, Sunny's face was back to normal. His eye-lights drifted off to the side, and when he next spoke his voice had a hint of laughter to it.

"Your kind has a lot of nerve coming down here, after everything you've done to us. Really rattles a guy's bones, you know?"

Sunny's eyes closed.

"Welp. I sure hope you're ready."

Sunny's eyes opened again, but this time they were different- the eye-lights were gone. His easygoing grin morphed into a sinister, jagged snarl.

"Ready to BURN IN HELL."

A hotness in their chest startled Frisk, and they looked down to see a bright red heart emerge from their midsection. The world around Sunny and Frisk faded out, until only Sunny was visible, his face back to normal.

Frisk was suddenly aware of "Buddy", looking over their shoulder. He offered an energetic line of narration:

(*Sunny attacks you!)

Frisk didn't attack Sunny. They didn't have any sort of weapon on them other than a stick, which they seriously doubted would work. So instead, they offered Sunny MERCY.

...It didn't work. Sunny raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't react.

Now it was Sunny's turn. Small, bullet-shaped white objects formed rough triangular shapes around Frisk, then shot inward. "Buddy" offered the helpful advice of "Don't touch the bullets!"

As Frisk frantically dodged, Sunny spoke calmly, almost contemplatively. "Y'know, it's kind of funny. Here I was, hoping that that last human would have been, well, the last, and then you came along."

Eventually, the bullets stopped coming. A strange, unpleasant aroma filled the air, and "Buddy" took note of this in some more of his maybe-not-so-helpful narration.

(*The air smells like dirty socks. Uh oh...)

Frisk SPAREd again, and sure enough, Sunny's next attack was a rain of dirty socks, falling from the sky.

Frisk dodged some more, wincing as a sock impacted their arm with a faint _squilch_ sound, while Sunny continued his monologue.

"Hey, lemme tell you a little secret- this is as unpleasant for me as it is for you. I mean, I didn't even think I was ever going to see another human, let alone be fighting one of the damn things."

Frisk wiped sock juice off themselves, frowning, and tried to think of something. SPAREing wasn't working, so perhaps they would try calling for help. Yeah, that was sure to work!

Finally finding their voice, Frisk yelled loudly for help. "Buddy" clapped excitedly and commented, "That's the spirit!"

The change in Sunny's demeanor was immediate- he looked as if he'd been punched in the stem. He started sweating and looking around wildly, and his grin faltered. His laid-back voice began to shake and rise in pitch.

"Ssh, shut up shut up shut UP! SHE might hear you..."

Sunny was seemingly so deeply unsettled that he didn't even attack. Buddy noted, "Sunny looks nervous. Now's our chance!" Frisk grinned, nodded in agreement, and called for help again.

Sunny's voice rose a few more octaves.

"Gahh! BE QUIET!"

"..."

"Feh, you got lucky this time, kid. I'll be watching."

"And a word of advice? Don't make too much noise unless you really want to die."

And with that, Sunny disappeared underground.

"Buddy" nudged Frisk a little. "Let's move on, small human. The only way to go is forward."

Frisk steadied themselves and walked forward, through the doorway in front of them. They emerged into a new room, with ornate stairs, piles of dead leaves and yellow flowers, and a shining, star-like object floating above one such pile. Curious, Frisk reached out to touch it, and felt something flow from them and "Buddy" into the star.

"Buddy" spoke again. "The RUINS loom above you, sending a chill down your spine."

"There is no time to waste! We will find our way out of the Ruins. Stay determined!"

[FILE SAVED- RUINS ENTRANCE]


	3. Chapter 3- The Chase Is On

The Ruins lived up to their name- they were absolutely ruined. Crumbling piles of eroded, vine-covered stone were everywhere Frisk looked, and huge stone columns that had fallen over were not uncommon either. Hundreds and hundreds of cracks, ranging from tiny fractures to massive gouges, webbed the faded purple walls. It didn't look like anyone had been there to take care of the Ruins for years. It was cold, too- a chilly wind somehow blowed throughout the Ruins, and Frisk found themselves shivering as they walked.

When they emerged into a room with five buttons on the floor, "Buddy" studied them for a second, then spoke again, sounding somewhat annoyed this time. "The buttons are all overgrown with vines. Clearly someone does not routinely recalibrate their puzzles."

There was a sign hung up on the wall next to an empty doorway that lead out of the room. It was chipped, cracked, and splattered with red paint, so Frisk couldn't make out much of it. It seemed that "Buddy" couldn't either- he muttered, "Brave... foolish... middle road..." as he read what was left of the sign.

The next room had several switches lining the wall. Most of them looked lke they had been dented and bashed in by a sharp object. There was a metal plate spanning the doorway at the far end of the hallway, with spikes embedded in it. They had already receded, though.

In the next room was... well, Frisk couldn't really tell. It bore a vague resemblance to a training dummy, but was so sliced up and pulverized that it looked more like a pile of cotton than anything. "Buddy" turned to Frisk with a strained, anxious grin. "Looks like somebody was pretty angry at this training dummy, huh? Nyeh heh..."

Mildly unsettled, Frisk continued. There was another hallway in the next room, with an oddly-shaped path in it. Frisk paid it no mind. The hallway opened up into a larger room with a pool of water at the bottom. A wide bridge with more spikes on it spanned the pool, but the spikes were broken and dulled. "Buddy" pointed at the spikes indignantly. "You could just walk on this. Where's the challenge?!"

Frisk giggled and kept walking. The next room was rather odd- it was comprised of an extremely long hallway which terminated in a door that they could barely see. The hallway was extremely dark, and its corners were completely in shadow. Frisk couldn't see them at all.

As they took a cautious step into the hallway, two things happened. One, "Buddy" gasped, pointed, and yelled, "Look out!" And two, a terrifying figure wearing polished metal armor covered by a cloak and gripping a blue spear made out of energy burst out of one of the shadowed corners of the room.

The next few minutes were extremely hectic. Frisk ran down the hallway as fast as they could, as the unknown person chased behind them. Frisk could hear metallic _whooshes_ and sharp objects clanking against the ground, but didn't dare look back for fear their pursuer would catch up to them. The door was looming up ahead, and Frisk raced through it without a second thought. They couldn't see much of the next room but a pile of rubble. They skidded to a halt and crouched behind it, not even daring to breathe.

Their pursuer stepped into the room, looking around. Eventually they sighed and shook their head. The blue, magical spear they had been holding clattered to the ground and disappeared. They stalked back the way they'd come.

Frisk let out the breath they'd been holding and looked around. They noticed another one of the yellow star-shaped objects, and reached out to touch it. Just like before, they felt something flow from them and "Buddy" into the star, and just like before, "Buddy" spoke a line of narration.

(*Narrowly escaping from Undyne fills you with determination.)

[FILE SAVED- RUBBLE PILE]


	4. Chapter 4- Detritus And Darkness

(*Narrowly escaping from Undyne fills you with determination.)

Frisk stood in front of a scuffed plastic bowl on top of a pedestal, eyes narrowed. The bowl was filled to the brim with delicious-looking multicolored candies, but a Post-It note stuck on the front declared it "PROPERTY OF UNDYNE" and warned them not to touch it "ON PAIN OF DEATH". After a tense moral battle, Frisk plucked three candies from the bowl and stuffed them in their pocket. "Buddy" muttered, "I... don't really think that was the best idea." Frisk indignantly told him to be quiet, and left the room.

It was then that Frisk met one of the first monsters that didn't actively try to kill them- an odd, frog-like creature, asleep on its feet. "Buddy" mused, "A Final Froggit. What is it doing all the way out here?", then quickly added, "Leave it be. I don't think you want it to wake up near you."

As Frisk quietly tiptoed away from the Final Froggit, "Buddy" whispered, suppressed laughter in his voice: "I guess you should... let sleeping frogs lie."

It took all of Frisk's willpower not to groan loud enough to wake the frog up, as "Buddy" doubled over, laughing hysterically.

Trying their best to forget the awful pun "Buddy" had told- a pun based off a tired cliche, no less!- Frisk turned a corner and left the room.

The next room held what could loosely be described as a puzzle- a small, rectangular patch of cracked floor that collapsed if Frisk walked onto it. The only way to solve it was to fall into the room below, then climb into a chute that dropped them onto the opposite side, as Frisk found out through trial and error. Rather annoyed at this point, they dusted themselves off and continued.

Frisk came across yet another puzzle in the following room, one that required pushing a rock onto a pressure plate to cause spikes to recede and allow Frisk to pass by. An old and worn sign affixed to the wall nearby offered only the enigmatic statement of "Two out of four grey rocks reccomend being pushed."

And then the next room made Frisk stop in their tracks.

It was a massive field of cracked ground with no visible path. A doorway at the far end mocked them with its virtual unreachability, and Frisk found themselves beginning to despair. How were they supposed to find their way through this?! What could they-

And then Frisk's questions were answered for them, as the armored person- no, Undyne- appeared behind them, spear in hand, and hurled it at the cracked floor.

The area directly under Frisk shattered, and they fell into blackness.

...

...

...

Frisk stirred and sat up. Where _were_ they? How were they not dead? As Frisk sat up, they noticed how dark it was. Luckily, "Buddy" produced a faint, iridescent glow that allowed Frisk to just barely see their hands in front of their face. As Frisk stood up unsteadily, he gave them an encouraging smile. They smiled back.

Wherever Frisk was, it was really, really dark. "Buddy"'s light only barely lit the way, and it was silent, too- the only sounds were Frisk's small footsteps and a faint, persistent creaking sound. Frisk made the decision to find out what was making the noise, and pressed onwards, towards where they judged the source to be.

As Frisk got closer to the source of the noise, something began to come into view. Frisk couldn't tell what it was, only that it had sharp right angles and was made of glistening metal and it was _shuddering and shaking_ -

It was an ancient steel staircase, creaking from disuse. How utterly anticlimactic.

Frisk sighed in relief, climbing slowly and leisurely up the stairs. "Buddy" floated upside-down beside them, looking bored.

They emerged in a much brighter room. The staircase had taken them to a small area with not much in it apart from a table with a TV on it, an empty trash can, and another one of the yellow, flickering stars. On closer inspection, the trash can actually had something in it- a crushed and water-damaged anime DVD case. On it, Frisk could make out the words, "MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE 2".

Knowing the routine by now, Frisk touched the star and SAVED. Buddy narrated once more:

(*Knowing someone is that passionate about hating a single anime... it fills you with determination.)

[FILE SAVED- TELEVISION ROOM]


	5. Chapter 5- Where Are The Kiddie Knives

(*Knowing that somebody hates a single anime with that much passion... it fills you with determination.)

Frisk stepped through the doorway at the end of the room, and stopped short immediately. Most of the room ahead was taken up by wall, and the small space that wasn't had a _ghost_ lying in it. An honest-to-goodness ghost, pretending to be asleep and failing miserably.

"Miserably" was the key word- the ghost had such obvious tear tracks on its face that "Buddy" loudly commented on them. At this, the ghost rose up slowly and Frisk jumped back, startled- they'd thought only they could hear "Buddy". But there was no time to pontificate on that- Frisk needed to get by the ghost. They attempted to push lightly past the ghost, and were rewarded by being thrown unceremoniously into a FIGHT.

(*A scary ghost blocks the way!)

Frisk asked "Buddy" what he knew about the ghost, and he responded:

"Their name's... Spooky Bloo Bloo... or something? I dunno, I forgot."

Frisk groaned and turned their attention towards the ghost, which had begun to speak. In a thin, barely audible voice, it mumbled:

"my name's napstablook..."

Next to Frisk, "Buddy" slapped his head- skull?- and commented, "Oh, so that's what their name is."

Frisk's attention was drawn once again to Napstablook, who was beginning to cry. Their tears fell _forward_ off their face and towards Frisk, who wasn't careful and got hit point-blank by one.

This wouldn't have been a problem but for one thing: due to their run-in with Sunny, Frisk was at one HP.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

 _"C-come on, *******, you've got to p-power through this!"_

 _"You're the m-most optimistic person I k-know! Chin up!"_

 _._

Frisk sat up with a gasp. That voice, had it been real? And the name it said, the name that sounded like it had been redacted from Frisk's memory?

But that wasn't important. The ghost crying at them, the tear hitting their chest... their SOUL shattering... were they... dead...?

As if answering their unspoken question, the familiar sight of the unplugged TV and the trash can containing the anime case slowly swam into focus. They hadn't died- they had _come back_. Come back from death. But why? How?

And again, as if answering Frisk's question, something caught their eye: the sparkling yellow star that they had touched before meeting Napstablook.

Frisk cautiously advanced into the next room, and sure enough, Napstablook was there just like before. Frisk approached them once again, and just like before, they were tossed into a FIGHT.

This time, however, Frisk knew to avoid the ghost's deadly tears. They dodged neatly, gave Napstablook some encouraging words and a pat on the head, and soon the fight was over.

"see you around... friends," Napstablook said as they faded away. They left behind a small pile of shiny gold coins, which Frisk put in their pocket.

Frisk was left to contemplate what had happened. They had the power to come back from death! What could this mean for them? Did they even need to worry about Undyne catching them now?

"Buddy" had been silent for most of the affair. Now he spoke up: "I think you should use this power only when necessary. If it was in the wrong hands, who knows how much damage could be done with it... Hell, I'm a little scared of you myself right now."

Frisk couldn't really blame "Buddy" for thinking that way. They definitely agreed with him on how their power should be used.

So they kept going. The next room did not contain many objects of interest besides a spiderweb and a sign, which read "Spider Bakesale! All proceeds go to real spiders and also the Human Defense Corps funds." Written below the words in red marker was an addendum: "Free Kiddie Knife included with every purchase of a Spider Cake on request of the Royal Scientist."

Frisk used the small pile of gold coins to pay for a slice of cake, a jug of cider, and a plastic knife, all of which they gave to "Buddy" to hold. As they walked out of the room, "Buddy" pondered: "What kind of scientist would like knives that much?"

Over the next few hours, Frisk and "Buddy" stumbled through many puzzles, made friends with at least five Final Froggits, and helped a butterfly wearing armor find its true self. They also visited an odd-looking monster's magic show, where it said arcane spells and pulled a carrot-like monster out of its hat.

At last, the duo arrived somewhere: a decrepit old house plunked down in the Ruins like a squatting toad. Its paint was peeling, the boards in its walls were rotting and cracking, and there was a large waterwheel off to one side of it that didn't look like it had seen proper maintenance for many years.

Directly in front of the house was an old, rotting tree stump with another yellow star sparkling atop it, and it was there that Frisk and "Buddy" saw Undyne for the third time. She did not appear to have seen Frisk, and walked slowly into the old house, leaving the door open.

Touching the star atop the tree stump granted Frisk the narration:

*(Knowing you'll have your final confrontation with Undyne in that old house... it fills us both with determination.)

[FILE SAVED- DECREPIT HOUSE]


	6. Chapter 6- Home Is Where The SOUL Is

**_(For atmosphere, please listen to Her House v5 by Nrom/blocks on Soundcloud while reading this chapter.)_**

* * *

*(Knowing you'll have your final confrontation with Undyne in that old house... it fills us both with determination.)

The door opened the rest of the way with a piercing creak that seemed to echo throughout the entire house. Frisk and "Buddy" entered slowly, the ancient floorboards creaking under Frisk's feet.

Frisk took note of their surroundings. Directly in front of them was a foreboding staircase leading down into darkness, which thankfully wasn't the only option- there were two doors leading left and right as well. Frisk decided to start by going right, after some deliberation.

The door on the right led into a long hallway terminating in a dead end, lined with empty frames as well as several doors. Frisk tried the first one, and finding it unlocked they went through. On the other side was a teenager's room- there was a record player balanced on top of a dresser with a record in it labeled _"'Crawling' by Linkin Park"_. It was jammed. Careful inspection of the closet brought up a box of old shoes, a pair of which Frisk took and put on. They winced at the dried gunk covering the footwear and left the room.

The rest of the doors lining the hallway were boarded up, and the boards proved to be too tough to break through with Frisk's plastic kiddie knife (obviously). At the very end of the hallway, however, was an old mirror. "It's you! Well, what little we can see of you between all the cracks in the mirror," "Buddy" pointed out excitedly.

Frisk walked back up the hallway and through the other door, which now seemed more appealing. The room beyond it was crammed full of stuff- tipped-over tables and chairs, broken pots, an ancient TV. Slowly, a pattern began to emerge- there was an old mattress jammed into a corner of the room, with a similarly old cell phone lying beside it. A small stool stood near a bookshelf, a stained plate perched atop it. A veritable rainbow of manga comics were scattered among the dusty books of a bookshelf. Clearly, Undyne was living in this decrepit house, and had been for some time. But why? And for that matter, why was everyone here trying to kill Frisk?

 _"Your kind has a lot of nerve coming down here, after everything you've done to us. Really rattles a guy's bones, you know?"_

 _"Here I was, hoping that that last human would have been, well, the last, and then you came along."_

 _"I didn't even think I was ever going to see another human again, let alone be fighting one of the damn things."_

Frisk was beginning to get an idea, and they didn't like it.

They shuddered and walked quickly towards another doorway on the far side of the room, passing by a still-warm fireplace on the way. They stepped into a room that seemed to be some kind of kitchen. A refrigerator was to Frisk's left, and they opened it. They noted that the fridge was filled with covered plates of spaghetti, unopened bottles of sickly yellow soda, a few cups of tea, and... "Is that a jar full of snails?", "Buddy" wondered.

There was a sink next to the fridge, but it was so crusted with dirt, grime and dried red paint as to render it utterly unusable. Frisk gave it a wide berth as they continued across the kitchen.

Finally, something useful lay on the counter- a warm plate of spaghetti which "Buddy" called "mighty" and "a culinary masterpiece", despite the fact that it looked decidedly overcooked. They gave it to "Buddy" to hold, and noted with great interest that the cake and cider they had given him earlier seemed to be gone. The only thing left in the kitchen to examine was the stove, which seemed to be hotwired to be able to go past the hottest setting. This probably accounted for the scorch marks on the wall behind it. "Classic Undyne," "Buddy" muttered.

Frisk slowly walked back to the entrance hall and stared down at the foreboding staircase, realizing that Undyne must be down there. They gulped, steeled themself, and slowly made their way down the stairs.

Frisk stepped off the foot of the stairwell and looked around. They were in a dark hallway whose walls matched the faded purple color of the Ruins. It went on for about five feet before making a sharp left turn which Frisk couldn't see around. They were surprised by the temperature of the hallway- it was bitingly cold and Frisk was forced to shove their hands in their pockets for warmth. They determinedly pressed onward, making their way around the corner...

...and then they stopped short.

Undyne stood in front of a large door with some sort of crest on it. It was half open, and freezing winds as well as a bit of snow blew from it. Undyne had her back to Frisk, so it was a surprise when she spoke authoritatively: "So you've made it."

Frisk waited patiently as Undyne continued to monologue. "I thought the mercenaries would pick you off, but I guess you're stronger than I thought. It's customary for me to tell the tragic tale of monsterkind to the humans who come this far..."

Then something startling happened. Undyne's voice lost all of its authoritativeness and she sagged like she was carrying an anvil on her back. "Oh, what's the use? I'll kill you, I'll take your SOUL to **the queen** , and we'll be free. It doesn't matter! I'm so tired of doing the same thing over and over!"

Undyne straightened up again, and this time a fiery edge crept into her voice as she yelled: "HUMAN! I'LL TEAR YOUR SOUL FROM YOUR BODY! NGAAAAAHHHHHH...!"

Then she ripped off her helmet, flung it on the ground, and whipped around to face Frisk. A glowing energy spear materialized in her armored fist, and she dropped into a combat stance. "Step forward when you're ready to face me!"

Frisk was at an absolute. The only way to get out of the Ruins was to face Undyne...

So they stepped forward.

"EN GARDE!"


	7. Chapter 7- Farewell To A Kind Soul

(*Undyne blocks the way.)

As the world faded to the monochrome of battle, Frisk was already trying to get through to Undyne. "Why do you have to do this?"

Undyne's voice dripped with contempt as she answered. "Listen, punk, two of my best friends in the world died at the hands of humans for zero reason. So you can shut up about 'having to' do things!"

Now it was Undyne's turn to attack. She closed her eyes, put her pointer fingers to her temples, and energy spears rapidly formed and rocketed towards Frisk. They ducked, dodged, leaped, and barely managed to clear the last spear. Frisk sighed in relief, wiped their forehead, and listened to Buddy's commentary for a moment ("Undyne gives you a glare so sharp it could have cut your hair") before making their next move. "What does that have to do with me?"

Undyne's eyes narrowed and she practically spat her next words. "You humans only ever do things because you can! And because you can, you 'have to'! And that includes KILLING MY FRIENDS, APPARENTLY!"

Undyne whipped her hand upward, and Frisk's SOUL flickered into a greenish color, freezing them in place. They looked around in panic as several spears shot towards them. Mere seconds before disaster, a glowing shield materialized in their hands. Breathing a sigh of relief, they spun it around and deflected the spears. As Buddy noted that "it smells like rusted metal", Frisk asked Undyne, "Haven't you met **any** good humans?"

The question seemed to unsettle Undyne, who replied: "Well, there was C... I-it doesn't matter! You're nothing like them! They were always asking questions, trying to get to know me... trying to... to help me..."

Undyne made a fist, and Frisk's SOUL turned red again before spears launched towards them from all directions. They played a deadly game of Limbo, bending over and sliding out of harm's way as spear after spear rocketed over their head.

They straightened up, took a moment to rest, and then asked, as it would turn out, the deciding question.

"What makes me any different from the good human you know?"

Undyne stumbled back like she'd been kicked in the shins. Her eyes widened and her arms dropped to her sides. When she next spoke, her voice was missing its passion and anger, replaced with pure shock.

"I... I don't..."

She wildly swung her arm, and a few half-heartedly aimed spears tossed themselves at Frisk. All of them failed to hit their target.

.

Frisk asked Undyne to spare them.

.

"You haven't even attacked me once..."

.

Frisk asked Undyne to spare them.

.

"Why can't I do this?"

.

Frisk asked Undyne to spare them.

.

"Why am I only now really thinking about what I've done?"

.

Frisk asked Undyne to spare them.

.

"Why are you the only human that's really made me think about what I've done?"

.

Frisk asked Undyne to spare them.

.

"What am I even doing? You're exactly like them, there's nothing that makes you more killable than them. God, what am I doing?"

Undyne fell to her knees. Tears began to glisten in her yellow eyes. "Hah... I'm so weak, it's funny. I got defeated by words..."

Without warning, Frisk pulled Undyne into a hug. "Don't say that. It shows that you're willing to listen to reason... that you have a heart, a conscience."

Undyne wiped at her eyes. "You're right, punk. You got me to see what "doing the right thing" really means. And I definitely know it's not right to kill you!"

The human and the monster shared a laugh together before Undyne let go of Frisk and stood up. "You should go. If you keep on walking, you'll meet the Queen. She's not in a good state of mind, but I believe that you can help her just like you helped me."

Frisk nodded solemnly and stepped through the door, but before closing it they turned around. "Say, Undyne. I kept seeing red paint everywhere, like on the signs and in your sink. What was that about?"

"You know you're not the first human to fall down here, right?"

"What does that have to do with the paint?"

"...It's not paint. It's blood."

"Oh. I get it. Don't worry, I'm not mad. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Thanks, punk. You know, we all could learn a thing or two from you."

"Don't mention it."

Frisk closed the door behind them.

They looked around. There was just darkness all around them, with a purple door at the end of the room and a withered sunflower in a patch of sunlight the only objects of interest in the room- wait. A withered sunflower. Was that-

And then Sunny answered their question for them.

"Hey again, kid. I gotta say, I expected you to die to Undyne at least once. You're just full of surprises, aren't ya?"

Frisk gritted their teeth as Sunny went on. "But noooo, not dying to her wasn't enough. You just _had_ to get all friendly with her. Makes me sick."

"...But I'm getting off-topic. Anyhow, so you managed to go your own route. You didn't kill, and you weren't killed. But..."

Sunny's face twisted and distorted, his eye-lights flickering out and his grin melting into a twisted snarl. " _What happens when you encounter someone who's sworn to kill, someone driven by vengeance who'll never let up until you're **dead for good**? What good will your precious pacifism do you **then**?_ "

"Heh heh heh. I can't wait to see you **break**. But for now... I'll let ya go. _**Remember,** **I'm always watchi**_ \- ACK!"

Not wanting to hear another word from Sunny's mouth, Frisk had stomped as hard as they could on his head before rushing towards the other end of the room. They pushed through the door and slammed it behind them, then sat down and hugged their knees for a little while.

Frisk suddenly realized that Buddy had been oddly silent for most of the fight with Undyne and their talk with Sunny. They turned to see him, and realized with a jolt that he ad obviously been crying. Seeing Frisk staring, Buddy flinched, wiped his eyes, and said nervously, "We'd better get going. Sunny might decide to come after us."

Frisk nodded mutely, pushed themself up off the floor, and walked unsteadily forward. At the end of one last long hallway was one last door. They swung it open and stepped through.

END OF SECTION ONE: THE RUINS


	8. Chapter 8- Ice To Meet You

BEGIN SECTION 2: SNOWDIN

To say that it was cold in the snowy forest Frisk emerged into would be an understatement- they felt like icicles were forming on the end of their nose as they walked. But there was something else, too- something more unpleasant than simple cold. Frisk felt like they were being watched. They envisioned eyes staring at them from behind every tree, and found themself shivering for a reason unrelated to the temperature...

Up ahead on the snowy path was a large, heavy tree branch, lying across the path. Frisk tried unsuccessfully to lift it several times, then gave up and moved on. Suddenly, a _whoosh_ echoed throughout the forest, and Frisk whirled around just in time to see a long-limbed... _something_ fling the heavy branch effortlessly to the side before scuttling off into the trees.

Shuddering violently, Frisk began to run. An occasional rustling in the trees or a glimpse of a long-limbed silhouette spurred them on, and soon something began to come into view at the end of the snowy path- a metal door set in a brick wall, which Frisk realized in despair was locked tight. They pressed their back against the door, pulled out their plastic kiddie knife, and waited for the whatever-it-was to show itself.

The thing emerged slowly from the trees, its long legs carrying it with ease towards Frisk. As they stared and slowly edged away, Frisk's feverishly anxious mind noted that the thing's legs appeared to be _retracting_ , getting shorter and lowering it to the ground.

Now slightly shorter than Frisk, the thing slowly strolled towards them before coming to a stop about a foot away from them. Frisk cringed as an echoey voice filled their ears.

" **Human. You have something I need.** "

" **...** "

"Money to buy a hairbrush."

The thing stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself. It was a sort of cat-dog thing with incredibly messy black hair, wearing comically large, round glasses, a scarf, and a green winter jacket. It wasn't even carrying any weapons- Frisk was starting to feel silly for being afraid of it as it continued talking.

"My roommate gets antsy if I don't look my best. He's a real stickler for fashion. Oh, but where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself. Name's Bob. Bob the... uh... well, just Bob, I guess."

"Oh, about the door. I've got the key right here, let me just..."

Bob pulled a silver key out of his pocket, then walked past Frisk and unlocked the door. He motioned to it. "After you." Frisk grinned and walked through.

On the other side of the wall, the snowy forest opened up into a large clearing. On one side of it was a collection of oddly shaped lamps, several of them bearing a resemblance to Frisk. A cardboard box with "TEM SHOP" written upside-down on its side in faded marker was lying near Frisk.

Bob turned to Frisk. "My roommate is gonna meet me here. He's in league with the Royal Guard, so he'd turn you over if he saw you. We should hide you somewhere. Hmm..."

Suddenly, Bob snapped his fingers. "Aha! Go turn that box upside down and hide under it. I'll cover for you."

Frisk quietly flipped the box over and slipped underneath it, crouching and trying not to make too much noise. Outside, they could hear voices...

"Bob! Good to see you. ;)"

"I've never been able to figure out how you do that thing where you _say_ a wink."

"Doesn't matter. Did you get that hairbrush? ;)"

"Not yet. I'll get around to it."

"Ugh. Anyway! The Royal Scientist's cameras caught footage of a human exiting the Ruins. If Undyne failed to stop them, well, that means... I don't want to think about what that means. ;)"

"Why are you still winking if the situation is that serious?"

"These are winks of anxiety! ;)"

"Whatever. How did the council with Captain Dreemurr go?"

"Not well. The news came in near the end, and everybody freaked out except the Captain... ;)"

"Huh."

"Wait a minute! You were doing your patrol job by the Ruins entrance. Did you see anything? Did you see the human? ;)"

"No sirree, roomie. No humans to be found. The one that got out must have been pretty darn fast."

"That's a shame. It'll make it harder on ol' Rei. ;)"

"...Doesn't he specifically tell everyone _not_ to use that nickname?"

"Well, what he doesn't know can't hurt him. Anyway, I'm going up ahead to recalibrate Fort Glacius's traps. One of them ought to catch that human, and if they make it to the exit... well, I'll be waiting. ;)"

"Sounds like a plan. You go ahead, I'll keep watch here."

Still crouching under the cardboard box, Frisk faintly heard the diminishing sound of something gliding smoothly through snow. A few moments later, Bob called, "Alright, you can come out from under there now."

Frisk cautiously pushed up the box and peeked out from underneath it. The clearing contained only Bob, and no mysterious winking Royal Guards showed their faces. Frisk lifted up the box completely and stepped out, straightening up.

"My roomie is pretty fast. He'll get those traps recalibrated pretty quick, and then you'll have to deal with them..."

Bob's eyes lit up so noticeably, Frisk could almost see the lightbulb flickering on above his head. "I got it! I'll accompany and help you through your journey! Sort of like a party member in a RPG!"

 **(*Bob has joined your party.)**

Frisk turned around to walk out of the clearing and immediately stopped short, stunned by what they saw. Blocking the way out of the clearing was a massive, thick metal door set in an equally massive, thick metal wall, held shut by several complicated locks connected to a large keypad. Frisk took a few steps backward, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, I had that reaction the first time I saw Fort Glacius' entrance too. Don't worry. Since my roomie is in the Royal Guard, I know the passcode. Hold on a sec."

Bob walked past Frisk to the door, then started rapidly tapping at the keypad. Frisk managed to catch a glimpse of the words "GOD OF HYPERDEATH" before Bob clicked the enter key and stepped back. The keypad actually started to vibrate and smoke a little as the complicated locks all slowly undid themselves. Then the door began to slide upward into the wall, ever so slowly. Frisk quickly walked through, Bob close behind them.

The duo emerged into a cold, mostly bare room. "Hmm... seems like there's a pile of boxes over there," "Buddy" remarked.

And indeed there was. As Frisk soon found out, the majority were empty, but one contained a hairbrush. Frisk tried to offer it to Bob, but he waved them off. "Eh, I'll survive. It's not like having messy hair is really that bad."

Frisk tossed the hairbrush to "Buddy" and surveyed the room. They noticed a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, and thankfully, another glittering star in the corner. Frisk skipped happily over to it and tapped it as "Buddy" made his narration.

(*The kindness of Bob and this unfamiliar new place both fill you with determination.)

[FILE SAVED- BOX ROOM]


	9. Chapter 9- Nobody Is Above Consequences

_**Content Warning:** **Su** **icide**_

* * *

(*The kindness of Bob and this unfamiliar new place both fill you with determination.)

The next room was... unsettling, to say the least. There was absolutely nothing in it except a single, forlorn cardboard sentry station off to one side, held together precariously by what looked like uncooked pasta noodles. There was a small scattering of grayish, dusty powder on its roof. The entire room felt oddly cold, the air around the cardboard sentry station even more so. Frisk gave it a wide berth as they and their companions walked through the room.

As Frisk, "Buddy", and Bob ventured down the dimly lit, metallic hallways of Fort Glacius, Frisk began to notice a strange, unpleasant smell in the air... something like burnt dog food. Rounding a corner, the smell was so strong Frisk could almost see the smoke... wait, there was actually a trail of smoke coming from behind a large door on the far side of the room. What-

"HUMAN DETECTED!"

"Woof!"

A huge doglike monster in glimmering armor burst through the door, with a smaller dog smoking what looked like a dog treat riding on its shoulders. The smaller dog yelled "Greater Dog, fetch!" and hurled a small, glossy red ball at Frisk which stuck to their striped shirt. The huge dog barked excitedly again and barreled towards Frisk, and they were tossed into a FIGHT.

(*The Doggy Duo blocks the path!)

Frisk frantically pulled at the little red ball, but it seemed to be lodged firmly in their shirt by way of a small metal claw which Frisk couldn't pull out. The smaller dog slid off of the bigger dog's shoulders, pinching out the end of the dog treat it had been smoking before tossing it away. It then began to look from side to side, glaring at seemingly random spots. Behind Frisk, "Buddy" whispered, "That's Doggo. He can only see moving objects, so stay still and you'll be fine. As for the huge one next to Doggo, that's Greater Dog. They just want to play, so pet them as soon as you can."

Frisk took a tentative step forward, and Doggo immediately whipped around and hurled an icy blue throwing knife at them. They yelped and ducked, and the knife sailed harmlessly over their head before... passing right through Bob? What? How...?

As if in answer to their unspoken question, Bob explained, "That was a blue attack. It can't hurt you as long as you stand still, just like Doggo." Frisk nodded and straightened up.

Now it was Greater Dog's turn. The huge monster panted excitedly before lunging at Frisk, trying to grab the ball attached to their shirt. Frisk dodged and weaved, barely managing to avoid the massive spear that Greater Dog wildly swung about as they quested for the ball. To make matters worse, the spear periodically flickered between the same icy blue of Doggo's knife and its normal color. Frisk wasn't quite quick enough and took a full-on blow from the blue spear as they were moving. They were knocked backwards as their chest exploded in burning cold pain and their HP dropped to 0.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

Frisk was back at the box room. Wordlessly, they ran ahead, and the Doggy Duo came through the door just like before. And just like before, Greater Dog landed a lethal hit on Frisk.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

Again, Frisk went up against the Doggy Duo. And again, they died to Greater Dog.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

Again.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

Again.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

Again.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

Again. Again, and again, and

 _again._

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

.

This time, Greater Dog only managed to gash Frisk's arm. As Frisk's turn came around, they gripped the wound in pain. They were so tired of dying over and over. If this was all it was good for, what was the use of coming back...?

Frisk was frustrated. And _angry_.

What would happen if they tried something a little... different?

Frisk slowly turned to "Buddy" with an unreadable expression on their face. "Knife."

"What?"

"The plastic knife. Give it to me."

"But-"

"Knife. Now."

Slowly, reluctantly, "Buddy" produced the neon green plastic knife and handed it to Frisk. They gripped it tightly and stared up at Greater Dog.

[*FIGHT]

Frisk lunged forward and stabbed the plastic knife into Greater Dog's chestplate as hard as they could, letting out a shout of anger and frustration. The neon green blade shattered the glimmering armor as if it was made of glass and sunk to the hilt in Greater Dog's fur.

With a single, sad yelp and a sound like pouring out a cupful of sand, Greater Dog dissolved into a pile of gray dust.

*...Your EXP increased...

Frisk was struck with the reality of what they had done. They had killed an innocent monster. Let their anger get the better of them. Stabbed them in the chest, when all they had wanted was to play. A single tear coursed down their cheek. The plastic knife slipped from their fingers and clattered to the metal floor.

 _No_ , Frisk thought. _I have the power to come back from death. I can do this again and make it right._

Frisk bend down and plucked the knife from the floor. They positioned it at their neck, gritted their teeth, whispered "I'll do the right thing," and stabbed downward.

.

 _crack_

 _shatter_

GAME OVER

 _"*******, you've g-got to get out of this slump and k-keep going!"_

 _"Life has its u-ups and downs... stay d-determined!"_

.

Frisk woke up next to the glittering star once again. The pile of boxes swam into focus, and Frisk immediately shot up and rushed out of the room. They crouched outside it, hugged their knees, and began to cry, unable to get the sound of Greater Dog dissolving into dust out of their head. They stayed like that for a little while, "Buddy" offering a ghostly hug. Eventually, Frisk wiped their eyes and straightened up, determined to do the right thing this time, no matter what. Never again would they kill.

Frisk and Bob's short walk proved to be the same once again. Bob still showed no sign of remembering anything, the cardboard sentry station was in its same place, and the Doggy Duo burst through the door in the same spot. Greater Dog, thankfully, was alive and well once again, but Frisk still couldn't get the image of a pile of dust on the polished metal floor out of their head. This time, they swore things would be different.

Frisk's renewed determination allowed them to finally dodge Greater Dog's attacks. They managed to sneak up behind Doggo, pet him into submission, and convince him to dislodge the small red ball from their shirt. They then tossed the ball for Greater Dog several times, trying to make up for killing them as best as they could. Frisk, Bob, and "Buddy" left the battle in good spirits.

As Frisk and their companions were walking, Bob stopped short suddenly. "Hold on, I just got a text..."

He whipped out a cell phone and tapped the screen a few times, then turned to Frisk. "My roomie is up ahead. I'll go meet him. Don't come around that corner until I say it's safe to. Got it?"

Frisk nodded and crouched down behind the corner, staying quiet as Bob sauntered around it. His voice, as well as the mysterious person's voice, echoed through the hallway...

"Hey roomie."

"Don't you "hey" me, Bob. And stop being so flippant! Don't you care that there's a human on the loose? ;)"

"Well, you're the one who winks after every sentence he says."

"It's a linguistic condition! ;)"

"No such thing."

"Well, maybe I just like winking. Ever think of that? ;)"

"And maybe I just like being flippant."

"Ugh! Whatever. Anyway, I have reason to believe that a monster here has been helping the human on their journey. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you? ;)"

"About that... uh, human, it's safe to come out now."

Frisk slowly peeked out from behind the corner. Their eyes swept the area, noticing a large rock that the glossy metallic floor seemed to be built around, Bob (looking bored as usual), and finally, some kind of ridiculously muscular horse-monster with a mermaid tail, wearing some kind of suit coat with metal pauldrons. As Frisk watched, it opened its mouth in surprise, closed it again, and then spoke. "Um. That's... that's the human? They're awfully small. From the way Doggo was ranting and raving, I assumed they were an adult. ;)"

As the horse-monster finished its sentence, it winked noticeably, although it seemed more reflexive than anything. Strangely, Frisk could have sworn they _heard_ the wink. Odd.

Now Bob was talking again. "Listen, Aaron. They're a child. You can't kill a child. I know the queens made a decree and doing this will get you recognition, but... morality is more important, isn't it?"

Aaron started sweating a little, which was odd in the temperature-controlled environment of Fort Glacius. He tugged at the collar of his armored suit coat. "W-well... uh... I don't have to kill them. Just deliver them to the capiital. **The Queen** will do the rest... And besides, have you forgotten all that humans have done to us? All those deaths... We've already let one live, we don't need a second. ;)"

"But this one is peaceful. They haven't killed anyone."

"Did you, perhaps, ask them how they got past Undyne and the mercenaries in the Ruins? Or even check their EXP? ;)"

Now Bob was the one sweating. "Wait, you're right! I haven't checked their EXP! It should be 2 if they've killed anyone!"

Frisk was struck by a horrible realization. They'd killed Greater Dog and their EXP had increased, but then they'd gone back. Had their EXP stayed the same?

Whatever the case, Frisk didn't want to get captured or killed or whatever it was Aaron was going to do to them. As Bob stretched out his paw, flickering with yellow magic, they screamed, stumbled back, and broke into a run.

Behind them, they could hear yelling of "They ran away!" and "Catch that thing! ;)", but the sounds faded as Frisk fled down the corridor.

Up ahead was a metal door. Frisk kicked it open, shot through into the room beyond, and slammed the door shut behind them, grabbing a nearby chair and barricading it. They plopped down on the floor, breathing hard.

.

 _Elsewhere..._

Doggo leaned against the metal wall, chewing on a burning dog treat. As the small flame reached the base of the treat, he pinched it out between his thumb and forefinger before tossing it away.

The still-smoldering treat clattered to the floor and slid sideways a bit before slipping soundlessly into a small vent near the wall. As it fell through the inner workings of Fort Glacius, little now-flaming pieces of dog treat lodged themselves in the sensitive machinery that controlled the fort's power.

 _"WARNING: Overheating in the power sector. Shutting off main power supply..."_

 _Click._

.

The lights went out. Frisk, still catching their breath, jumped a little, glancing worriedly around the room. They breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of a glittering, yellow star, and reached out to touch it. "Buddy" spoke quietly behind them:

(*The promise of something new fills you with determination.)

[FILE SAVED- SERVER ROOM]


	10. Announcement

As you may have noticed, I changed the AU's name. Well, after some thinking, I've decided to reboot the AU entirely. The new version of Chaos Theory will have a new story and entirely different role placements, so you won't know what you're getting until chapter 1 of the reboot comes out... which will be in a few minutes, hopefully. I just need to upload it.


End file.
